Broken Bonds
by XxShawns Guardian AngelxX
Summary: Based on an RP by me and the lovely Seraphalexiel. AJ Styles gets an unexpected visit from someone who suddenly holds a special place in his heart. They need to talk, get a few things out in the open but what if one isn't quite ready? Just read it. :D


**DISCLAIMER: Just so you know, I respect the people I am writing about. I know most of them are happily married ect ect. I'm merely writing a story so don't get hell bent if you don't like slash or implied slash ect ect. I don't own these guys. Dixie Carter owns TNA in all it's glory (ha ha) and Vincent Kennedy McMahon owns the empire that is WWE. I am not making money blah blah blah.**

**AN: This ficlet is based on an RP that took place between me and Seraphalexiel. Other people have gotten in on the RP such as wrestlefan4 and if we choose to make an epic fic based on that RP (which is still in progress by the way), then it will probably result in a joint fic or something. Or several fics. We don't know what we're doing at this point. Just don't be surprised if you see more fics pop up about these guys. We have theories and we're sticking with them**.

**RP Characters:**

**_AJ Styles - Serephalexiel_**

**_Shawn Michaels - Shawn's Guardian Angel_**

**~**~**~**

**Broken Bonds**

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_Special thanks to Seraphalexiel and wrestlefan4_

**~**~**~**

Shawn Michaels sat down in a chair outside a TNA locker room, his eyes covered by the shadow from his hat. It was pretty quiet except for the one or two workers still hanging around. He thought it best not to make much of a scene and did his best to stay relatively hidden. No one really noticed him which was a good thing and the one person that did (Hulk Hogan) was only too happy to see him and offered to do business with him if he ever felt the need to. Shawn nodded though secretly thinking to himself that he could never stay here. Not knowing that each day he would be forced to see _him_.

"AJ…great match tonight kid." Shawn raised his head just enough to see the person he was looking for coming towards him. He was smiling but he looked very tired. Of course that was to be expected of TNA's star talent. Shawn didn't say anything to him as he brushed past him into the room he was guarding. Once inside, Shawn stood to his feet looking around to make sure no one was around before following him inside. He allowed the door to make a noise as it closed alerting the young man to his presence.

AJ or Allen, stared at him for the longest time as if confused. Shawn took a deep breath and removed the hat from his head, setting it to the side. "Shawn?" Shawn looked up nervously staring at the possible reflection of himself. He was younger but honestly looked nothing like him. His hair was short, something that neither Shawn nor his "daddy" had in common with the kid. Allen was probably the same height as him though his boots made him stand just slightly taller than Shawn right now and his eyes…nothing like his which made Shawn wonder if they would have much of anything in common at all.

"I'm…sorry AJ…er…Allen—

"Call me AJ."

"AJ…sorry. I just—

AJ held up his hands silencing the older man. "Look, I know why you're probably here but I want you to know that you didn't have to do this. You didn't have to force yourself to come here—

"No, wait," Shawn said softly, this time cutting him off. "I didn't…I didn't force myself to come here – at least not to see you. I actually _wanted_ to come." He looked down at his feet shifting uncomfortably. "Been wanting to come for a while now. I just…didn't know what I'd say."

It was silent again, the room once again filling up with a silence and tension that was just insurmountable on Shawn's part. A part of him wished he just would have run away but then the other part of him knew he needed to do this. Prolonging the inevitable was only making it that much harder to get through each day and after much debate about it with Hunter, he finally gave in. So now here he was, standing before the brother he never knew and he didn't feel much of anything at all except old and awkward.

A gentle hand on his shoulder forced his head up meeting a pair of warm brown eyes that made him feel a little bit better about standing there. "You don't have to say anything. Just the fact that you're here says a lot about you." AJ removed his hand after a moment, shaking his head probably out of embarrassment. Wanting to avoid another uncomfortable silence he spoke up again. "He talks about you all the time you know."

Shawn scoffed. "I don't care."

"He's trying Shawn. He really is."

Shawn shook his head. "I can't…I don't want to talk about him right now," he snapped irritably. "I just…I'm not ready to go there. It was hard enough bringing myself to see you."

"I see," he answered softly. "You're still angry."

"Angry doesn't begin to cover it. Look AJ—

"You shouldn't carry all this hate around Shawn. It's not good for you."

"Funny you should mention that hate…" Shawn chuckled. "Hate is something I'm all too familiar with. You forget I'm probably the most hated person in the entire world of professional wrestling. I made my career off of hate so…" He shrugged. "I don't think much of it."

"But you and I both know that it's wrong in _HIS_ eyes Shawn. I'm not trying to say I'm a better Christian than you cause Lord knows I'm not. But…you got to at least try." Shawn shook his head, a small chuckle escaping him. "What is it?" AJ asked.

"Nothing. It's just…" He looked up meeting AJ's curious stare and smiled. "I came here with every intention of acting like the good big brother. Seems to me like you're better suited for the job."

AJ blushed, heat rising to his face quicker than a real fire would. "Well…I'm just saying," he mumbled.

"No, no it's okay," the heartbreaker smirked. "Please. By _all means_ tell me about myself. In all honesty I do need to do better – and in my defense I would – but when you have as many problems as I do, it…makes it kind of hard."

"We all have problems Shawn. We just have to find the best way to deal with them," he offered.

Shawn shook his head. "I keep forgetting that you and I are two different breeds."

"We're from the same seed Shawn," he frowned. "I don't think we could be that much different."

"Same seed or not, he is _not_ my father," he pointed out. "He can hang around here and play daddy to you all he wants," he said bitterly, "but the way I see it, he will never be nothing more than the guy I "retired" (his hands making quotes in the air) and that is all he will ever be to me."

"You don't mean that," AJ replied, his eyes softening.

"Oh you bet I do," he grumbled. Shawn turned away from AJ mentally cursing himself for being there. It was useless. They really had nothing in common except maybe a passion for a business that only used them day after day until they could no longer work. When it was all said and done, eventually they would be spit back out and no one would even remember them unless they managed to grasp the spotlight at least once. Even then unless you did something so spectacular (or in Shawn's case controversial) you would be but a footnote in a wrestling history book and that was all you'd be. Shawn spun around to face him. It was time to go. All of it…it was a mistake and he never should have come here. "I think I should—

"I'm sorry."

Shawn shook his head. "Look, I shouldn't have come—

"I said I'm sorry," he said again, this time a little more sternly. He closed the gap between them hoping the intimate gesture would make him feel better. Secretly he couldn't have been more thrilled to have the great Shawn Michaels, Mr. Wrestlemania standing before him and the fact that they were relatives only made him that much more giddy. Of course he was hiding all his excitement due to the fact that he didn't wish to come off as an idiot, but that didn't matter. Shawn looked up at AJ meeting a pair of genuinely sorry eyes; eyes that drew him in with each passing second. He quickly averted his gaze to avoid the weird tension when he spotted AJ's TNA Championship hanging over a chair.

"Nice belt," he said with a smirk. "Mine wasn't quite that nice looking when I had it the first time around."

AJ smiled sheepishly. "Yeah well it never seems that way when you're looking back. Truth be told, my first reign as champ was a little tense but with all of these old timers around giving me advice and encouragement, it's not so bad right now."

"Even with that creep Hogan the Bogan lurking about?" he snorted.

AJ rolled his eyes. "I don't pay that bald creep much attention and to be honest with you, he doesn't say much of nothing to me. I think it's cause dad…er Ric," he added quickly when he saw the scowl on Shawn's face. "Yeah I'm pretty sure he's got something to do with it."

"Wouldn't doubt it, but at least you're taking care of yourself…or so it seems," he grinned.

"Yeah I usually keep to myself. I don't get in anyone's business."

"That's good to hear. I wish there were others just like you. You know, in my neck of the woods."

"Yeah uh…which is why I plan to stay here as long as Bogan doesn't destroy us. Nothing against Vince but I heard the rumors. Place is politicking central."

"Yep and Hunter and I are usually in the center of it," he said caustically.

"I didn't mean—

"No, don't take it personal kid," he grinned. "The dirt sheets have a field day every time the push of a young star fails. It's usually my fault if it fails and Hunter's politicking if they make it." Shawn shook his head. "You can't win for losing with these so called 'wrestling journalist'."

"I wouldn't know since I don't read them. Most of my info came from guys who left the 'E and came over here. They even said some things about you...'course I didn't take it to heart," he added quickly but Shawn only grinned, raising his brows teasingly.

"Oh did they now?" he asked. "Well just what did those nosy fools have to say about lil ole me?" he asked, leaning in closer to AJ. AJ took a step back meeting the cool steel of the lockers.

"Uh…you know…that you're pushy—

Shawn took a step towards him, their noses barely touching. AJ seemed determined not to be intimidated staring back defiantly at his older brother. "What else did they say about me?" Shawn asked softly, his low gruff voice sending an unwanted shudder through AJ's body.

"Uh…flirt. Playboy. Boy toy."

Shawn rolled his eyes turning away from Allen. "12 years and I haven't changed a bit," he mumbled. It was quiet again until a soft knock at the door drew both their attentions.

"Shawn?" The door opened and another body entered the room quickly closing the door behind him. It was Hunter, another guy AJ heard nasty rumors about. Hunter nodded cordially before turning his attention to Shawn. "Sweetie, I just come to tell you that if you want to avoid you-know-who then you might wanna wrap things up. I saw him just now entering the building. He's talking with Hogan right now so you got time to sneak out of here."

"Alright. Thanks Hunter. Give me five more minutes and we're out."

"He seems like a good friend to you," AJ said after he left.

Shawn chuckled. "Yeah he is. He and I have been through a lot together. He's always looking out for me…or so it seems."

"Must be nice to have someone like that."

"It is but then sometimes it's a pain. Sometimes my friends cross the line without really intending to. Every now and then I have to get onto them but otherwise they're great. I love all of them." He shook his head. "But enough sappy friend talk. How about we exchange numbers? Maybe the next time the 'E is in the Orlando area, we can hook up and do some catching up?"

AJ smiled. "I'd like that a lot. Maybe you can tell me the secrets to your success."

"Trust me kid. You don't want to come up the way that I did. I might not like him, but Ric's way is probably better." Shawn pulled out his cell and the two of them exchanged numbers. "Call me anytime. We got a lot of lost time to make up for. I never had a real brother but then, the Kliq was family to me. I doubt it's that much different. See you around kid. It was nice talking with ya."

Shawn turned to leave but AJ clasped his wrist. "Wait Shawn." Shawn turned around allowing his body to be pulled into an unexpected embrace. AJ's arms enclosed Shawn's smaller, leaner body and the blonde tensed up. It was weird…and awkward despite being told they were relatives. But then he heard AJ sigh which allowed his body to subconsciously relax, his arms slowly encircling AJ to return the hug.

For a moment AJ was sure he made a big mistake by reaching out to Shawn that way. It's just that it didn't feel right in his heart to let him walk out without showing that he truly appreciated his efforts. He could tell just by the way Shawn tensed in his arms that he wasn't expecting it. He could also tell just by holding him that he was carrying around a hell of a lot of pain. It was weird. _Maybe this is what it feels like to have a connection with someone._ The pain Shawn was carrying around just seemed to pour into AJ and at that moment all he wanted was to take it all so that his brother could have some kind of peace. "Thanks for dropping by Shawn. It means a lot to me."

Shawn took in the scent of his brother, smiling at the warm, southern drawl of a whispered breath bouncing off his ear. "You're welcome."

AJ's door creaked open and several voices could be heard entering the room. "I'm telling you brother, this is gonna be huge!" Shawn quickly pulled away, ignoring the awkward comfort he felt from the embrace replacing it with extreme feelings of resentment as he stared at the two men who were standing silently near the door. Shawn didn't even look up as he crossed the room. He placed his hat on his head, lowering it to hide his eyes before walking by the two men as if they didn't exist. A whisper and then Hogan was gone leaving Ric Flair to attend to his new protégé.

When they were finally alone, AJ let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. It was only a few moments but in those few it was as if the air had been sucked out of the room. AJ waited for Ric to speak up but when he didn't he began to worry. "Dad? Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Ric looked up and that's when AJ noticed his eyes were filled with water. "Oh I'm always fine," he replied. AJ wasn't entirely convinced, but before he could question him anymore, Ric was grabbing his bags and belt, heading outside the door. "Let's get a move on kid. We got some things to discuss about your new angle per that bald freak," he joked.

"I'll be there in a sec." AJ waited for Ric to close the door before pulling out his cell phone. He scrolled all the way down until he got to Shawn's number and just stared at it.

"Allen are you coming?" Ric yelled.

"Yeah. Coming Ric." AJ put his phone away and made a mad dash out the door. He beamed proudly as Ric placed an arm around him smiling. "Let's go son."

* * *

AN: Meh...I know it wasn't much but it got the job done. I can sleep at night now knowing that I have some sort of direction in my life with these three men. I know you may think it's farfetched but I've been convinced since Flair's send off that Shawn is Ric Flair's illegitimate lovechild and TNA is making it all too easy to think things about Flair and AJ. I'm just going with it so don't take this too seriously. Will there be more? Who knows? My top priority is getting Bret run over by a truck...Oh alright. Just kidding. But I have GOT to finish Heart to Hart or I'm going to explode. -__- Hope you enjoyed this. 

**_Special thanks again to Seraphalexiel for playing the parts of Ric Flair and AJ Styles in our RP. You were amazing! If you haven't read any of her fics, you should. In fact, she has one about AJ and Shawn out now so check it out. Also read fics by wrestlefan4 because she does a freaking EPIC Roddy Piper, who will hopefully *puppy eyes to Jeri* make an appearance soon. Ta Ta!_**


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